Greenless Warriors Favorite to Win Game 5 and NBA Title

Mon, 06/13/2016 - 16:05

Many people betting on basketball – especially those who root for the Cleveland Cavaliers – though it was long overdue, and it finally happened; Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green was suspended for a “retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin” of LeBron James.

Whether or not this sends the wrong message – i.e., that James’s groin is more important to the NBA than Steve Adams’s – the fact remains that Green’s balls out style of play caught up with him and he will have to watch game 5 from a suite in the Oakland Athletics' stadium – lest he be fined two grand for if he doesn’t clear out of the Oracle Arena 120 minutes before tip-off. I guess it ain’t easy being Green.

Nonetheless, the Warriors are still the favorites to win game 5 and, by extension, hoist a second consecutive NBA championship trophy. Here are the odds at SBG Global sportsbook:

Cavaliers +5½ (-110) 208 (-110) +180

Warriors -5½ (-110) 208 (-110) -220

It’s almost as if Green sensed that he could safely sit out game 5 and leave the team in the splashy hands of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Green picked up the slack for those two during games 1 and 2 – and there wasn’t a lot that he could do in game 3. But Curry and Thompson made a long-awaited return in game 4 at the Q Arena; the former had 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while the latter added 25 points and 4 rebounds. Harrison Barnes contributed 14 points as well – between the three and Andre Igoudala, the Warriors set a new NBA Finals record with 17 three-point shots made. Green only scored 9 points, but did get 12 boards in the 108-97 win.

For those fans of betting of basketballs who like to keep score, Golden State’s 88th overall win this season puts then one win away from becoming the 7th team to win back-to-back titles, and they have the chance to do it at home, to boot. However, LeBron James knows that it isn’t over until the overweight adult female chants. The King had 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists, but he’s Achilles’s heel acted up again and he also had 7 turnovers. Kyrie Irving posted 34 points, and Kevin Love had 11 off the bench. Cleveland’s big 3 have their work cut out for them, though.

Only 10 teams in history have come back from a 1-3 deficit in the postseason, and not a single team has won the championship after trailing 1-3 in the NBA Finals. Wisely, both players and coach are looking at it as winning just one more game – enough to keep them alive, and which it turn would see the series return to the Q Arena. Of course that begs the question; does LeBron really want to see Draymond Green again? And to answer the question all fans betting on basketball are asking, SBG Global sportsbook is the spot to place your wagers.